onedotzero was created in 1996 by writer and former film critic Matt Hanson as a film festival designed to showcase the vibrant new media collectives and digital arts scene then burgeoning in London. The festival tapped into the new desktop digital filmmaking tools becoming available, and foresaw the desktop digital revolution - what Hanson termed 'the film studio in your flat.' It established a platform to explore moving image across single screen, interactive and live audio-visual work. onedotzero was the first festival to present and commission audio visual performances, computer gaming visuals, music videos, and commercials in a film and arts context.

The first festival in 1997 was produced with short-lived new media arts collective, onearmbandit. It was from this group that new media and theatre producer Shane walter joined Hanson as joint festival director for the second festival (onedotzero2,1998) and subsequent festivals. Hanson and Walter established the onedotzero company later in 1997. After Hanson resigned as director at the end of 2001 Walter continued as sole director (onedotzero6 onwards). He has continued to extend the international reach of the festival ever since.

onedotzero is critically acclaimed for producing the world’s most innovative audio-visual festival, onedotzero_adventures in motion.

In November 2008 the festival onedotzero_adventures in motion was held at the BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX for the first time. The festival tours internationally including Buenos Aires, Argentina, New York, France, Russia in just commenced an international tour, following sell-out festivals at London’s BFI Southbank in November 8. and in Buenos Aires in September 8.

The festival includes themed compilation screenings featuring short film, music videos, animation and motion graphic from all over the world. It also features live audiovisual performance.

In 2008, onedotzero took over the BFI IMAX for two exclusive events that used the UK's largest screen to full effect. They commissioned innovative British musician Nitin Sawhney to collaborate with renowned stage designer Es Devlin and onedotzero industries for a one-off show. They also hosted a night featuring three of the UK's best known audiovisual acts The Light Surgeons, D-Fuse AV and Hexstatic.

In 2006, to mark the tenth anniversary of onedotzero, they held a series of events at some of the UK’s leading art institutions, including onedotzero_transvision at the Victoria and Albert museum, onedotzero_amour at the Tate Modern, and onedotzero_metamorphosis at the Hayward Gallery.

onedotzero run a free open submission scheme and receive around 2,000 entries from all over the world each year.

In 2009 they again held their film festival at the BFI in London "adventures in Motion" and co-curated (with the v&a museum) "decode: digital design sensations" which showcased the latest developments in digital and interactive design, from small screen based graphics to large-scale installations, and included 35 works by established international artists and designers including daniel brown, golan levin and daniel rozin as well as emerging designers such as troika and mehmet akten.

In 1999 the festival span off the TV series onedottv - it was produced and programmed by Hanson and Walter (and based on UK visual pioneers). In 2001 the follow-up maxi-series, a 12-part onedottv_global was made (again for UK’s Channel 4), directed and produced by the co-directors, with camera by Grant Gee - it involved filming subjects in Tokyo, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sweden and Paris.

The onedotzero DVD label, launched in 2001, distributes and sells around the world. The onedotzero_select DVD series are compilations featuring the highlights of the festival screenings, as well as other new works, including short films, documentary and music videos. The fifth edition in the series was released in Summer 2007.

Recent releases include a DVD single - the multi-award winning black and white animated short ‘Who I Am And What I Want’ by cult artist David Shrigley and director Chris Shepherd, Slinky Pictures.

In 2004, a book and accompanying DVD, Motion blur: graphic moving imagemakers, was co-edited by Hanson and Walter, with interviews mainly sourced from Matt Hanson's interviews from the onedotzero_global TV series, and additional photography from Walter . It was published in the UK, Netherlands, and USA, going to reprint twice. The follow-up book, produced by Laurence King, was released in 2008.[1]

Launched in Autumn 2006, Bloom was a global competition to find moving image talent from around the world and commissioned a series of one-minute-films that explore identity and community. website. The films were finished in summer 2007, and shown globally on MTV channels and online.

onedotzero has a sister production company, onedotzero industries, which was founded by shane walter and sam pattinson. it works in the area of moving image and brand development across TV, web, live events, visuals, promos, installations, commercials and emergent technologies.

onedotzero industries works with a wide range of talent, from leading creatives such as Willie Williams, Run Wrake, Logan, Julian Opie, UVA, D-Fuse, Minivegas, Shroom, and Alex Rutterford to commissioning new student talent.